My name is Sharon Garofalow. Based in So Cal, I am the mom to two amazing little boys and married to the raddest man in all the land. This is where I share a collection of cool, created by me or curated from around the web. I focus on untraditional party themes, unfussy fashion and creative activities for your modern family.cupcakesandcutlery@gmail.com

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #RaceDayRelief #CollectiveBias

My oldest son just got REALLY in to cars. He points out the cool ones to me on the road (and wants to talk at length about them…) and loves to get under the hood of our cars and look around. This new love has carried over to the television as well. There’s always car racing on and the boys in my family love to gather around and watch the action. I created this Loaded Tater Tots recipe for them to snack on while watching their favorite race car drivers battle it out on the track.If you’ve never made Loaded Tater Tots before, you are totally missing out. They’re basically the potato version of nachos. And they are good. Real good. It’s very rare that I see one of my favorite dishes, patatas bravas, on a restaurant menu. (I don’t know what the literal translation is but I really hope it means brave potatoes). It’s a Spanish tapas dish that is usually made with fried potatoes. Since I’m always looking for ways to make yummy dishes even faster, I decided to create these Loaded Tater Tots with a patatas bravas inspired sauce combined with another favorite bar food, Buffalo wings. Aside from a bag of frozen tater tots, you just need a few other ingredients for the toppings (blue cheese and parsley) and to create the Buffalo aioli. Aiolis are simple, mayo-based sauces that are totally versatile. This one couldn’t be easier to make with just a few spices – paprika and garlic powder (or you can sub a fresh clove) and some prepared Buffalo sauce. The sauce took literally 2 minutes to make. The only other prep work that needs to be done is to chop some parsley. It’s so easy! I mixed up the sauce as the tater tots baked according to the package directions. Since it took almost no time at all, I had plenty of time to sneak outside and check out the Go Kart my father-in-law brought over to work on with my son. As a mechanic, my father-in-law couldn’t be happier to encourage my son’s love of cars. It’s so fun to see 3 generations hunched over something that grandpa welded for them, working away to make it better. Although they created the Go Kart from a kit, it’s still very homemade. From what I hear, it rides a little (a lot!) rough. But that doesn’t stop my husband and father-in-law from making sure they get their turn in it too. It’s not easy on the body to climb in and out of that little seat. They’re body’s always ache a little after these Go Kart days. That’s why I picked up these Advil® Film-Coated tablets. They go to work on tough pain in minutes* with they’re Rapid Release Formula.When they’ve had their fill of their own “race car” fun, they love to come in, sit down in front of the TV and watch other people do the racing. They can’t wait for the upcoming Ford Ecoboost 400 in Miami on November 20th in particular! While the Advil® Film-Coated tablets are tough on their aches and pains associated with car maintenance and rough riding through the street (actually they usually find an empty parking lot to drive in which is WAY safer), I rely on it for everything else like headaches, cramps, muscle aches and relief from the pains associated with the common cold which is running rampant through our house right now. The last time I made a “pit stop” (Get it. Racing.) at Walmart I grabbed a pack of shop towels from the automotive section. I thought it would make my son smile to have his own stash of towels to wipe his greasy hands on after working on the Go Kart. There is nothing cuter than seeing one of these red towels stuck out of his back pocket. But before I gave them to him, I thought they would make the perfect napkins for a race day snack.These Loaded Tater Tots with Buffalo Aioli are the perfect race day food. They are flavorful, so easy and perfect to eat with your fingers. By swapping out the standard fried potatoes, I was able to make the recipe super fast!

Do you love to entertain at home and serve your guests delicious appetizers? These cheese ball recipes are are simple and delicious! I mean, who doesn’t love cheese? Plus it’s a surefire way to make your guests happy. Pour some wine, serve some cheese and nothing can go wrong.

Well, that may not be entirely true, but it’s a great start. Hosting can be a crazy juggling act as you try to feed your guests and make sure that everyone is taken care of. Cheese balls are a great idea because they can be made ahead of time, are great for serving at room temperature and can sit out for quite a while without turning gross or poisoning your guests. Which I’m sure you’ll agree is always a great thing.

I just found the perfect fast and easy breakfast idea! This microwave egg cups recipe is sure to be your go-to breakfast. It features beef, egg and veggies and is full of protein to start your day off right. Read on for my recap of the 30 day Protein Challenge I just took and get the simple recipe for making eggs in a cup! This post is brought to you by The Beef Checkoff and The Motherhood. All opinions are my own.

If you haven’t read up on why protein is key for busy moms, you totally should. I created that post to share about how simple swaps we make in our diets throughout the day can ensure we are getting enough protein for optimal health. I joined the 30 Day Protein Challenge, developed by The Beef Checkoff, and learned so much about why protein is essential in our daily diet. Part of the challenge was to create a food diary to help take a hard look at how I consume food throughout the day. This diary helped me see a clear area where I was doing it all wrong. Breakfast. Most Americans consume their daily protein allowance at dinner, so I know I’m not the only one who struggles to create a good breakfast option. As a work at home mom, I’m super busy and grab convenience food rather than protein. But protein will help me start my day off on the right foot. I decided to tackle this chaos filled time of day first (kids off to school, etc.) and really try to make a life change. My diary also told me my snacks need improving, plus I need to be more active. I’m planning on focusing on those once breakfasts are squared away. Small changes are the way to go here. Otherwise it can be too overwhelming and I’ll quit.

What I love about this recipe is that you can prep once and have a better breakfast for the next few days. Although I’m busy, I don’t mind cooking. I prefer it not to take hours, but I am willing to put together meals. This easy egg cups recipe starts off with making your own beef breakfast sausage. The flavors are not as bold as you might be used to in your sausage which makes this super versatile. Start with lean ground beef, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper, salt and fresh (or dried) sage.Add the spices to the meat and brown it up in a pan the way you do for tacos. Feel free to change-up the seasonings in this as you see fit. You could even use your standard taco seasonings to make more of a southwest egg cup recipe. Once the meat is cooked through, let it cool and then split it up evenly in to plastic zipper bags. This recipe is also a great way to include your favorite vegetables. Prep these all at once and portion them in to the bags as well. Then they are super easy to grab each morning when you need to make a fast breakfast. For this version I used cherry tomatoes and baby bella mushrooms. Maybe next week I’ll add some bell pepper, or green onions. Zucchini would also work really well in here. There is no wrong answer. Just think of how fast you can make a healthy breakfast choice by simply grabbing a bag out of the fridge with the beef and veggies. The only other things I need is an egg, and some water. So simple! I’ve never made eggs in the microwave before. But it’s my new favorite way. I literally just stopped writing this post to make some because it’s so easy and I was starving! Just beat your eggs and water with a fork, add your beef and veggies and microwave! Couldn’t be easier! I just know you are going to love-making microwave egg cups for breakfast! While these are awesome for busy moms on the go, these are also great for kids! My kids usually prefer sugary breakfast items, but this way I can get some protein in before they head off to a long day at school. They get to pick their own veggies and mix this up all by themselves.

*NOTE: The photo directly above is actually 3 servings. The mug I used was really large and you could barely see the finished eggs when I made just 1 serving. The picture above this one shows just 1 egg and beef serving. Your eggs will not grow to fill out the cup like this image might have you believe! Oh, the blogger life…

By starting the day with protein, I can take control of my day and make the right food choices all day long. This challenge taught me to be smarter about what I am eating – and that these diet changes don’t take much more time than grabbing junk food. Protein throughout the day helps you avoid that over hungry feeling that leads you to eating a bag of chips for lunch. I also found that I wasn’t cranky from hunger or thinking about the next snack I was going to have next because the one I just finished didn’t satisfy me. Plus when I start adding in exercise to my daily routine, protein will help me build muscles and protect muscle mass. You can learn even more about the benefits of protein by heading to the Beef, It’s What’s for Dinner website.

When I feel good about my breakfast revamp, I’ll start looking at how to revamp my snacking. There are tons of great easy options for adding in more protein, such as snacking on nuts, nut butter, cheese sticks, small portions of beef. Check out this Protein Cheat Sheet and tips for adding protein for even more ways to up the protein throughout your day. This challenge really does make this easy for you!

Take the 30 Day Protein Challenge for yourself and find out how these small changes will affect your health for yourself! It’s a step by step way to help get you the optimal amount of protein throughout your day!

Thank you for supporting the brands like, Beef, It’s What’s For Dinner, that let me help you live a better life. All opinons are always my own.

This easy Chicken Taco Recipe is a family favorite. For years I made our tacos with ground beef and the kids tolerated them but didn’t really love them. One busy evening, I decided to shred some chicken and let family members make their own chicken tacos. I sort of felt like I was phoning it in in the dinner department. But my family LOVED their tacos and ask for this meal every week. This chicken taco recipe has become comfort food to my family. And it just so happens that it is one of the easiest meals to make! I’m partnering with Foster Farms to show you how to make them for your family.Isn’t that always the way it goes? You slave over elaborate meals, trying to be the best mom you can, and instead they love something that is super simple. But sometimes it’s the simple things that are best. I’m a food lover and enjoy putting meals together for my family. I’ve tried all the old comfort food standards. You know, the things that are covered in cheese or super indulgent? My family just isn’t into them. I’ve learned that my family likes things that are much simpler. Which is great for health reasons and just as satisfying. Our new comfort food is much cleaner and also doesn’t take a ton of time to prepare, which I love! It’s comfort food that can be made each day, not necessarily an indulgence.My kids used to try to tell me they were allergic to chicken because they didn’t like eating it. So when my kids freaked out about how good these tacos were, I was really surprised. Foster Farms Simply Raised chicken is a premium ingredient that is free of antibiotics, American Humane Certified and no added hormones or steroids. Since this simple shredded chicken is the centerpiece of the tacos, I feel good knowing I’m feeding my family a high-quality product. It’s locally grown on the West Coast so I know I’m getting a fresh product from my local grocer.The preparation of these chicken tacos is stupid easy. I add the chicken breasts to a pan, cover with water and then bring to a boil and boil for about 55 minutes. That’s it. I check it when the timer goes off to make sure the chicken is tender. If it isn’t, I let it boil a little bit longer. When ready, I use two forks and quickly shred the chicken and place in a bowl. Then I just add garlic salt and chili powder, mix well, and the chicken is ready for the tacos.My kids go crazy for these tacos! I’m able to put the chicken on to boil, and then go do something else for almost an hour. I can either get more work done or do a chore around the house. So easy.I give the kids an option of flour or corn tortillas as the base of their taco. The prep on the tortillas is to bring them to room temperature. Simple.I let the family guide what condiments I put out for this chicken taco recipe. We pretty much eat them like street tacos so prep is minimal. We love to squeeze a bit of fresh lime on the chicken. And we use the salsa mostly on the side with a few chips. I noticed that when we used to eat beef tacos, the kids would fill up on chips and salsa. But with these, they hardly touch the chips.My kids LOVE black beans so I always include those in our taco meal and sometimes they’ll even add them right to their tacos. My preparation is super easy. I just drain and rinse the beans, put them in a pot, add a little bit of water (maybe a 1/4 cup) and sprinkle on some garlic salt. I heat them through and they are ready to go. They LOVE it this way.It’s awesome that I can create a new, healthier version of comfort food for my family on a weeknight! Definitely give this recipe a try to see if your family loves it just as much as mine! Foster Farms Simply Raised Chicken is the perfect base for a meal that I feel really great about serving my family.I like my tacos with chicken, a squeeze of lime and tons of fresh cilantro! What’s even better is that there are always leftovers. Either the boys will pack them up for lunch the next day or I get to eat it for lunch. This is even a super easy meal to make when you are having guests over. People love a “make your own” situation and this chicken is a crowd pleaser. You are definitely going to want to add this easy Chicken Taco Recipe to your weekly meal plan!

Quick meals are a necessity in our household. Not only are we running to and from activities, but my work hours don’t often fall when the kids are in school. This Easy Teriyaki Turkey Stirfry Recipe is one of our favorite go-to meals. It’s pretty darn healthy and the kids love it! I’m partnering with Foster Farms to share this fast, easy recipe for you to make for your family too. Easy weeknight dinners usually mean popping something premade in the oven and ignoring it. While that is helpful because I don’t have to be so hands on, I know those types of meals are full of preservatives and sodium. Instead I look for or create recipes that utilize items that are fresh but versatile (or forgiving, which means they stand up to overcooking if I get distracted…) and are come pre cut. This Teriyaki Turkey Stirfry Recipe is so easy and, luckily, the kids love it. This easy recipe for stirfry uses just a few ingredients, most of them fresh, and can be made even more “clean” by making your own teriyaki sauce. For the days when I’m extra pressed for time, I use a bottled version. This is one of those awesome recipes that you can tailor make to your families preferences. You can really load it up with a bunch of types of veggies or use family favorites like I’ve done here. The base for this recipe is the ground turkey. Foster Farms Organic Ground Turkey is nutritious and a lean source of protein. It’s 100 % natural with no added hormones or steroids. Which is awesome! As busy moms, we have so many different things to focus on. It’s nice to know that Foster Farms is making sure that I can serve my family a healthy meal, fast. I plan on adding many more easy ground turkey recipes to my menu plan.One of the ways that this meal is able to come together so quickly is the veggies I choose. While I always try to use local, fresh ingredients when I can, frozen edamame are a favorite of the kids, cook up quickly and are also full of protein. I also keep frozen, chopped onions on hand, that help me to layer flavors. Keeping those two things in the freezer means that I can have a flavorful, healthy meal on the table faster. For this turkey stirfry recipe, I also used fresh, shredded carrots (who has time to chop?) and shaved Brussels sprouts (precut because shaving Brussels sprouts sounds like the worst kitchen task ever). I recently found out that Brussels Sprouts, with a little soy sauce, taste a lot like bok choy or cabbage which are flavors my kids like. So I decided to add them to this recipe. It’s a great way to include another veggie and I’m hoping it will help both kids learn to like the flavor more so I can serve Brussels sprouts more ways (so far they only like them roasted with bacon and maple syrup – not so healthy). Because the veggies are prepped for me, I can quickly brown the onions and ground turkey to get this recipe going. Once the turkey is cooked, I add all the veggies, a bit of water and cover so they can steam. It takes just a few minutes for the vegetables to get to crisp tender. I uncover and let the excess water cook off and then add the teriyaki sauce. Once the sauce is warmed through and everything is mixed well, the meal is ready! Boom. I love quick meals! This teriyaki stirfry recipe can be made in under 30 minutes. We make this so often I don’t need to look at a recipe any more. To keep things interesting for the kids I swap out veggies form time to time.We eat this turkey stirfry in a variety of ways. Often we eat it over rice (or brown rice if I can sneak it in) and sometimes we try riced cauliflower. That isn’t a favorite for the kids yet but I love it that way. Riced cauliflower is a great way to add in another veggie! I love this dinner idea because it makes plenty to feed our family and we end up with leftovers too. Since my kids don’t love sandwiches, they often take this in their school lunches. While it’s delicious hot as a quick, easy dinner recipe, it’s also really great cold for lunch! So versatile! Once in a while, we really shake things up and turn this teriyaki turkey stifry recipe in to filling for lettuce wraps. We grab some lettuce leaves and water chestnuts (they add the most amazing crunch) and wrap away. Even my youngest, who doesn’t love lettuce, likes these. This is usually how I eat the leftovers because yum.Feeding your family can be hard. Coming up with a meal plan each week, that they’ll enjoy and is also healthy, is a daunting task. I always want to make good food choices and serve my family something healthy but sometimes I feel like my schedule makes that extra difficult. I’ve been really taking a look at our diet over the last month and know that making small changes is the best way (at least for me) to create new habits. Enter #TurkeyTuesday. I’m making an effort to include Foster Farms Organic Ground Turkey in our dinners every Tuesday. Locally grown in California’s Central Valley, Foster Farms Organic Ground turkey is raised free-range, on organic land, and fed an organic, vegetarian diet. And no antibiotics. Ever. I know that if my #TurkeyTuesday meal starts off with this lean protein, at least one meal that week will be something I feel really good about and push me to feed my family better the rest of the week. Head to the Foster Farms website to learn even more about the only California grown organic turkey. And give this teriyaki turkey stifry recipe a try this week!

Have you ever heard of bunuelos before? I hadn’t either. Until my friend Roni posted that she made some in honor of her favorite show, Narcos on Netflix. But here’s the thing. There are two kinds of bunuelos, the Mexican version which is sweeter, more like a donut, and the Colombian version which is basically 95% cheese. Since Narcos is all about the drug trade in Colombia, of course you have to make the Colombian version. So that powdered sugar that you see in the photo is merely there to represent the idea of cocaine, not as a topping for these little fried treats. I thought about taking it a step further and rolling up some bills and round mirror, but I thought, “nah”. Phew. Glad I could clear that up. Roni was going to make these for me but had to go out-of-town at the last-minute. So she sent me a boxed mix and I went to work making these delicious bit sized doughy cheese balls. And be “me” I really mean my mom because I’m afraid of frying oil and she came over and did it for me.

This post is in partnership with Netflix. As part of their #StreamTeam I get to share with you all of my favorite shows on the platform. All opinions are always mine. Netflix is the best partner ever. They let me share creative posts, including those with fake cocaine. It’s a match made in heaven. But I digress. So, as I mentioned, these bunuelos are usually served with coffee. I’m not sure how many is considered a serving but once you have one you’ll probably need a few (hundred) more. They’re pretty good. The mix has simple instructions to follow on the back of the box. What isn’t in the box, however, is four cups of a hard cheese like cotija which I have there in the bowl. I picked up two packages at my local store and crumbled it. Roni also instructed me to add 1 tablespoon of sugar to the mix. Roni is a baker and decorator (a crazy talented one at that) so I did as she said.To get the right consistency, add a little bit of water or milk at a time. My mom ended up adding 12 tablespoons or 3/4 of a cup. The box said you would add about 1 tablespoon so I’m not sure what really happened there… The instructions say you want the dough to stay together but not be sticky. She rolled them in to golf ball sized balls prior to frying. When frying, make sure to not have the oil too hot or else they will brown on the outside and not cook all the way through. When you drop the balls in to the oil, they sink, then rise and then start spinning. It’s pretty fun to watch. Almost as much fun to watch as Narcos on Netflix. I’ve only seen half of the first season so far. I really need to get all caught up! Sometimes when I post about Netflix, I get a sense of who the super fans are. After posting something about Narcos, Roni reached out and asked if I knew when the second season was starting. I didn’t know but as soon as I found out, I made sure to let her know. Then she sent me a photo of a batch of bunuelos that she made in honor and that is how this post came to be. You should have seen my mom’s face when I asked her if this looked like the bunuelos were sitting on a mountain of cocaine…my job is so fun. When you remove the bunuelos from the oil, just let them drain on a paper towel lined plate and cool. These mo fo’s are HOT. The consistency is creamy and salty and vaguely cake like. If you aren’t a fan of smelly cheeses, you won’t like these. You can always substitute other cheeses to see what you like better. I’m wondering if you could use the shaker parmesan cheese? I think that would be totally tasty. But not at all Colombian. And in the perfect awkward segue, get excited because tons of Disney movies are making their way on to Netflix! It’s not everyday that Disney and cocaine are found in the same post, but today is that day.

Starting in September and beyond, Netflix will be allowed to stream all Disney films — including Marvel, Pixar, and Lucasfilm titles. All films released in theaters in 2016 are included in this deal. Which means, by the time you read this post, Zootopia is already available to watch. This is HUGE! Netflix is the only place you can find all these Disney movies, so now is your chance to get all caught up on any you may have missed!

My husband and I are currently OBSESSED with The Get Down. Like, the other day when we were at Disneyland, I was like, man I wish we were getting home earlier so I could watch another episode. That’s good. If you like old school hip hop beats, you’ll love it. I totally cried at the end of the 3rd episode. The storytelling is AMAZING! OH! and Fuller House has been renewed and new episodes will start airing December 9th!

Are you watching Narcos on Netflix? Will you watch ALL the Disney?

This post is sponsored by Netflix. Thank you for supporting the brands that let me create fun content for you and watch a lot of TV!

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My name is Sharon Garofalow. Based in So Cal, I am the mom to two amazing little boys and married to the raddest man in all the land. This is where I share a collection of cool, created by me or curated from around the web. I focus on untraditional party themes, unfussy fashion and creative activities for your modern family.cupcakesandcutlery@gmail.com